Entertainillent Page 8, The Retriever, March 4, 1974 , William Windom e~plains his career Last week in this space, we bar is destroyed, and there he is, left jiscussed William Windom's fine in front of the parking lot. Jerformance as James Thurber at Naturally, the ' netwoork thought Nashington's American Theatre maybe they'd better fix. that, so they : which continues through March ended it on an up note, wlth every~dy Oth). This week, through the courtesy congratulating him which was routme )f American Theater's former Public rather than exceptional." Relations Manager Flo Harbold and As an actor duing a very bad time NJZ-TV's Larry Angel, we can for actors, I asked William Windom to iiscuss in greater detail the career of look backward and ahead. When I Nilliam Windom, including his asked which of his work he'd like to ~urrent production. have saved, he laugh~d. William Windom's first ap­ "None of it. Listen, you can't do that )earance on a stage was in a minstrel to yourself. You can say,'I'll save a ;how at the age of nine·. From there, piece of film for my kids to look at he story jumps 13 years to his first beforethey throw it in the trash can 'eal dramatic performance-the title when they're sixty,' but that's about 'ole in Shakespear's Richard III. That all you can do. I saved a copy of "Tim :ook place on an road tour; Windom Reilley's Bar" because I wanted it. I ~xplains "I didn't want to be an actor enjoyed it, and I thought it was a ~ood my way 'til I was twenty-three .. .1 piece of film, and I grabbed It. I Nanted to go in foreign service. I told should have grabbed RICHARD III hat to the Iranian ambassador a when they did it...but I didn't, and ~ouple of days agton 'Panorma' (the accordingly, we can't have that for Nashington-bas€d new-and-talk laughs around the house, which would ihow) and he said, 'You're lucky you have been kind of fun." No others? iidn't do it. I think he's right." "No. If they happen to turn up in old From there, he spent fifteen years movies someplace, that's good n New York working with such enough. You don't need to have a ~roups as American Repertory collection of your own. I've met some fheatre, New York Shakespeare people in Hollywood who ha ve a coPy 1'estival, and Abbe Professional of every film they ever did-they really tVorkshop; and doing Richard III go all out for it. .. and you get the 19ain for NBC-TV in 1950. Finally he feeling maybe they pat themselves on noved to California, began working the back a little too much." n films and television as well as the rheatre Group at UCLA: took the ead ~n A3C-TV's "The Farmer's What if you didn't have to worry )aughter," and eventually "My WINDOM about finances and could do what you Vorld and Welcome to it." ... his world and welcome to it wanted? "I would try to get this show rolling Unlike many actors who discover the cartoon railroad car, or whatever "Cattle King" and "The Detective," n author only in connection with a you're doing. But there wasn't much and played Norman Vincent Peale's a little better. Although I can't thionk that money would help it anywhere .. . ole, Windom had long been an ad- of that. Most of it was pretty much father in "One Man's Way." And he 1irer of James Thurber. He says he done like any other TV show; which is portrayed the Secretary of State in except, perhaps, promotional work ... - Would I want to do a movie of .rst discovered the humorist when "I just jn a small set, with the the film "The Man." las about ten or fifteen years old­ mother / father / da ughter / dog "'The Man' was fun particularly something? No, I'm not that in­ ventive. I sort of sit arhnd and wait omething like that. I think 'Walter situation going, whatever was hap- because I got a chance to work with 'litty' was probably the first thing I pening. . James Earl Jones and some other for things like that to come to me." Is there anything you would not do? ead .. .1 thought it was fun-I thought "As TV goes, I thought it was a c~t very good actors. That was kind. of "I wouldn't take a series that I don't 1e cartoons were fun, but it never above the average. I had been m fun ... 1t was made from a very m­ ccured to me to tie myself to any of another series (The Farmer's teresting book, I thought. I enjo'yed want to do; that's true, I wouldn't :." Then fate stepped in. . , .' Daughter) which didn't give me that the book, but the, when you cut it bwn want to do that. I wouldn't take "The "A couple of guys from California . much of a thrill. Qn the other hand, into a movie, it tends to get chopped Farmer's Daughter' ... 1 may have to 10ught they'd put together a show that too, was very useful. It got me to up and rehashed and economics takes settle for, let's say, a policeman or a ased on Thurber. They took about a a point where people would at least over and cuts into your storyline." detective or alawyer or whatever they ear getting it under way and know who I was, what I was trying t.o Rod Serling did the script for that, do, but I'd like to think it would rganizing the pilot film. Finally, do. This one was more fun because It didn't he? happend in, let's say, eight segments heldon Leonard gave me the part...­ had a different approach to the story­ "I don't think so, no ... Rod Serling a year would be enough ... sort oflike hen they sold it in about a year's line. It wasn't just dumb daddy and wrote the screenplay? You could have doctors taking turns." ime and it went on the season of '69- bright mommy and smart kid and fooled me." Checking later, I found One definite plan for the future is a 70n 'won the Emmy, got cancelled, even brighter dog; it was, you know, out that I was right-just for the second edition of WINDOM PLAYS nd here we are doing this." Daddy was allowed to win a couple. record. He also wrote an episode for THRUBER. "My World .. and Welcome to It" not And it made more sense. And it had his series "Night Gallery" which I'd always thought that Thurber ,nly won the Emmy for best c~medy some good stuff in it from Thurber. It starred Windom, "They're Tearing represented a special New.Y?rk type eries that year, it also won Wmdom wasn't, however, pure Thurber." Down Tim Reilley's Bar." of attitude-what about a hmited run ,ne for his own work in the show. Which is of course, what led "I never met the man, strangely on Broadway? "Who knows? I'm happy to try ;ome people may remember the show Windom to ~ontact Thurber's widow enough. He never showed up .t~ere. that.!1 don't know whether it would be 'ombined the acting of Windom and about a stage program, and resulted But he did call me after he saw It- he he other cast members with in WINDOM PLAYS THURBER. But, called me and told me he was happy any mor successful th~re than. it mimated versions of Thurber there is more to William Windom than would in any other Enghsh-speakmg with,it, which was ni~e to he~r ... That city .. .I guess it would work out. I'd lrawings. I asked if this presented a simply two TV ser:.ies and a supe~b was one of the better Jobs ... It s funny­ like to think so. Let's find out-we'll go )eculiar problem as an actor. one-man show. He has appeared m the first show I did out there in "Well, we only did about six roles on nearly every dramaticmTV take a run at it one of these days." California was "Twilight Zone" ... So, Meanwhile I still say again that iessions of that, and it was very ex-' series from "Chopper One" to it's kind of old home week to do that , . Jensive for them to do. They had to "Hallmark Hall of Fame." At, WINDOM PLAYS THURBER IS a one again." . magnificent evening of theatre, a lire a special crew and ' use a huge present, he tours with WINDOM "Tim Reilley's Bar" dealt with the itadium-size studio, because it was PLAYS THURBER from autumn to delightful show so entertaining that it story of a not-very-successful in­ truly leaves the audience hungry for 'ront-projection, which is a little spring, then in April starts filming the surance salesman who was haunted onger and more involved than r~ar­ TV or movie offers available. He has more' and compared to Broadway, it by memories from earlier, . better , is quite close-in Wahington, DC, at Jrojection and that takes more tIme· also been in some interesting films. more optimistic days. The SCrIpt was md more ~oneh. So we only did about "My movie career is checkered, .but. L'Enfant Plaza's American Theatre, nominated for an Emmy, even though and as Windom himself said while 5ix sessions of that. That part wasn't not very massive. The best mOVIe I it was a victim of executive cen­ leaving, "T ell the good p~ple t~ere particularly difficult-it just takes was involved in was 'To Kill a sorship. 1, 0nger. And more meticuous work- Mockingbird' and I had a fairly small 'will probably be seats avaIlable rIght "The original story ended on a sad up 'til the last day." Take advantage you have to follow a little dotted line part in that-the district attorney." .He note having him fired, walking out in I of it. --by Rod Morgan ~n the floor so that you're walking into also worked in lesser gems hke . the ~treet and POW-the ball hits, the